Machi Koro: It’s Tough Being A Leader

Machi Koro is a card game with a story we can all relate to: the struggle that comes with being in charge. In Machi Koro, you play a character who has just been elected as the first mayor of the city. But don’t think that just because you’re leading a small town means things will be simple. Your job as mayor is to help your citizens grow your small community into a bustling new metropolitan with a radio tower, theme park, and other fun new features. Get your die ready as you build Machi Koro into the city of your dreams.

Cards, Coins, Dice

The tools of Machi Koro are a set of cards, coins, and a pair of dice. The game is played by 2-4 players, with each player racing to be the first mayor to build the four landmarks in their town. The landmarks that your citizens so desperately desire are as follows: a Train Station, a Shopping Mall, a Radio Tower, and an Amusement Park.

To begin the game, you only have a Wheat Field and a Bakery. Your job is to collect income and roll the dice to build these landmarks before your competition beats you to it. In order to build, you have to pay the cost. You start the game with $3 in coins, collecting income whenever you or another player roll the dice to match specific numbers. These are the activation numbers for each of your establishments.

In Machi Koro, there are four types of establishments. Each comes with certain activation requirements that allow you to earn income based on the roll of the dice. Restaurants get activated by your opponents’ rolls, meaning if another player rolls a three and you have a Café with an activation number of 3, they give you coins. Primary industries are activated at any turn, earning you money straight from the bank.

Secondary industries and Major Establishments are activated on your turn. When a Secondary industry is activated, you collect money from the bank. But when a Major Establishment is activated, you perform the actions on the card.

Build, Build, Build

You’ll need to build more than just the four landmarks needed to win the game. You’re allowed to construct one building at the end of each turn, either choosing a building from your supply or an unconstructed landmark. A building earns you income, while a landmark activates a special ability. The Train Station lets you roll two dice instead of one, while the Shopping Mall earns extra income for establishments with cup or shop icons. The Amusement Park allows you to take two turns when rolling doubles, while the Radio Tower gives you the option of rolling twice.

Machi Koro Expansions and Spinoffs

Machi Koro has come out with a couple of expansion packs and spinoffs that add a fun twist to the themes and mechanics of the game. Machi Koro: Millionaire’s Row adds a new mechanic called Renovation, which stops certain establishments in your supply from being activated. Machi Koro: Harbor Expansion adds three more landmarks to the game, including City Hall, the Harbor, and the Airport. It also allows you to play with up to five players instead of four.

Machi Koro Fussball involves building a stadium to host the World Cup, which is a fun theme for anyone who loves soccer. There’s also a cool sequel card game called Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City that involves building the most popular new tourist destination around! This sequel game is much more fast-paced and allows up to five players.

Be the Best Leader You Can Be with Machi Koro

Machi Koro is playable by 2-4 players, which makes it a great game for one-on-one play as well as small groups. If you’re looking to expand gameplay, you can always pick up one of the spinoffs or expansions to play with up to five players. Playing time lasts around 30 minutes, which makes it easily accessible to newer players just getting used to the rules. The game is suitable for ages 10, and up, so most kids and adults will be able to enjoy the game together.

Buy Machi Koro today and be the mayor you always knew you could be!

 

Machi Koro: A Mayor’s Job is Never Easy

In the card game Machi Koro, you’ve just been elected the city’s first mayor. While this is certainly a cause for celebration, you’ll find that just because it’s a small town doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an easy job. Your citizens want to turn your sleepy little town into a big and bustling city complete with a theme park and radio tower. You’ll have to use your die to help build Machi Koro into a city fit for your residents.

Rolling the Dice

Machi Koro is played with a set of cards, a few coins, and a pair of dice. The goal of Machi Koro is to be the first mayor to build the four landmarks of your small town. Your citizens want a Train Station, a Shopping Mall, a Radio Tower, and an Amusement Park. Sadly, all you have right now is a Wheat Field and a measly Bakery. You’ll have to collect income and roll the dice to construct your buildings and win the game.

Each building has a certain coin cost in order to be built. Players begin with $3 in coins and will have to collect income as the game goes along. You can collect income any time that either you or another player rolls the die to a number matching the activation number on your establishments. 

There are four types of establishments. Each one is activated in a different way, allowing you to collect income whenever the die rolls on a certain number. Restaurants are activated on other player’s turns. For example, if you have a Café with an activation number of 4 and another player rolls a 4, then you get to collect coins from the active player. Primary industries are activated on any turn, allowing you to collect money from the bank. 

Secondary industries are activated on your turn, as are Major Establishments. However, while the activation of Secondary industries allows you to collect money from the bank, the activation of a Major Establishment allows you to perform whatever actions are described on the card.

Constructing Buildings

In addition to the four landmarks you need to construct in order to win the game, you’ll have to construct several types of buildings. You can construct one building at the end of your turn, choosing to build either a building in your supply or an unconstructed landmark. When you construct a building, you can start earning income on it. 

When you construct a landmark, however, this activates a special ability. The Train station allows you to roll up to two dice instead of just one. The Shopping Mall earns you additional income for establishments with cup or shop icons. The Amusement Park gives you the ability to take two turns when you roll doubles, while the Radio Tower lets you roll twice whenever you choose.

Machi Koro Expansions and Sequels

Machi Koro has released a few expansions and sequels that give this dice and card game new themes and mechanics. Machi Koro: Harbor Expansion adds variety by adding three more landmarks, including City Hall, the Harbor, and the Airport. It also allows for an optional fifth player. Machi Koro: Millionaire’s Row adds a new Renovation mechanic, stopping certain establishments in your supply from being activated.

Machi Koro Fussball forces you to construct a stadium to host the World Cup, making it the perfect sequel card game for soccer lovers. There’s also a fun sequel card game called Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City that turns your small little town into the hottest tourist destination around! This sequel game also accommodates up to 5 players and features an even faster pace.

Build Your City from Scratch with Machi Koro

Machi Koro is playable by 2-4 players, although some of the expansions and sequels do allow an optional fifth player. It’s suitable for ages 10 and up, so younger players can easily join in on the fun of rolling the dice and collecting the cute little coin tokens. Playing time lasts around 30 minutes, which is perfect for getting a short round in on a weeknight.

Buy Machi Koro today and enjoy the simplicity of being a small-town mayor!

 

The Luck of the Dice Is Under Your Control with Dice Forge

Have you always wanted to know what it feels like to walk amongst the gods? Dice Forge gives you the opportunity to earn your own seat at the heavenly table. All you have to do is build the perfect set of magical dice and roll your way to the top! Dice Forge is based on Greek mythology and assigns players the role of heroes competing to become demigods. While dice rolling has been an element of board games for thousands of years, you haven’t seen anything like the dice in Dice Forge.  

Forging Your Dice

Dice Forge puts a unique spin on the concept of rolling dice by using dice that have removable faces. This allows you to customize them throughout the course of the game to enhance their power and employ your winning strategy. By buying and forging new faces, you can gain new resources during your dice rolls, allowing you to buy cards to earn abilities and points.

Rolling the dice over and over again is one of the pleasures of this board game, watching as you move the little cubes on your player board up to higher spaces and see your wealth expand. You will have plenty of time to plot your strategy during the other player’s turns, as it does take a bit of time to modify the dice. Still, the anticipation and satisfaction of slipping on a new face to your die definitely outweigh the potentially clunky physical mechanics of the game.

Pick A Card

In addition to rolling the dice, part of the mechanics of Dice Forge involve buying cards that help you along the way. The cards can give you things abilities such as being able to turn gold into points or even the opportunity for additional rolls. There are 15 cards in the basic setup, 9 of which can be swapped out for alternatives. This leaves the opportunity for countless strategies to win that make Dice Forge easily replayable. It does remain to be said, however, that not all setups work as well with only two players. Some setups really thrive in having three or four players.

One of the coolest things about Dice Forge is its incredible art and graphic design. Not only is the game board decorated with a beautiful and intricately drawn layout, but the individual dice-building boards are incredibly fun to use in your quest to forge the ultimate dice. The game pieces are by far one of the most unique elements of Dice Forge and will have you rushing to play another game just as soon as you finish your first.

Dice Forge Expansion

Dice Forge comes with an expansion called Dice Forge: Rebellion. This expansion heavily expands gameplay by adding two different modules as well as thirty different exploit cards you can incorporate into the game. It also comes with new die faces, boards, and even an expansion to the sanctuary box. All of these new elements add challenges and increased interactions between players that make the game much more replayable.

One of the only criticisms of Dice Forge is the fact that it doesn’t have quite as many interactions between players as other board games. With the Rebellion expansion, you can make it a more interactive game that stokes the competitive spirit between family and friends.  The expansion also has the handy benefit of making it more complex, which older players will greatly enjoy.

Dice Forge: Make Your Own Luck

Dice Forge is playable by 2-4 players, although there are certain setups in the game that benefit from having more than two players. It’s suitable for ages 10 and up, so it can just as easily be a game that the kids play on a Saturday morning as it can a game for the whole family. Playing time lasts around 45 minutes, which isn’t super long compared to the amount of time it takes to set the game up and take it down. Still, many players are keen to play another round of Dice Forge right after they finish the first. Give it a roll and make your own luck with Dice Forge!

Buy Dice Forge today and build yourself a engine building machine!

 

Farkle: Do You Feel Lucky?

Farkle is a dice game that forces you to push your luck if you want to bank the most points and win the game. Like most dice games, Farkle comes with very few game pieces, making it an excellent game to play when traveling or camping. Roll after roll, you’ll send the dice spinning to see who can make the best combinations and avoid the dreadful “Farkle”. Fast-paced, simple to play, and easy to bring with you on the go, Farkle is a dice game that won’t run out of steam any time soon.

Get the Dice Rolling

Farkle is a traditional dice game that’s similar to the game Dix Mille (also known as Dice 10,000). The game of Farkle comes with six standard dice, a pen or a pencil, and a sheet of paper for counting points. The game begins with the selection of a starting player who’s usually chosen by the roll of the dice. Then, each player will go in turns rolling six dice at a time, trying to rack up as many points as possible each round.

The different sides of the dice equate to different points. Rolling a 1 gets you 100 points while rolling a 5 gets you 50 points. The other numbers on the dice do not get you any points on their own, but they can get you points if they’re rolled in certain combinations. For example, rolling three of a kind gives you 100 times the number rolled (i.e.three 6s equals 600 points). You get higher points for rolling four, five, and six of a kind, the last of which earns you a whopping 3000 points. You can also earn points for rolling a straight, three pairs, or two sets of three.

Banking Your Points

Obviously, the chances of rolling six of a kind on the first roll are going to be slim to none. The real strategy of the game comes from the fact that you can roll the dice multiple times, removing whichever dice you want to use for points after each roll. This means if you’re aiming to get six of a kind and you roll three 4s on the first round, you can set aside those three dice and roll the other three dice again.

The catch comes from the fact that you have to roll a scorable combination on each round. You can’t just keep rolling the dice ad infinitum until you get the combination you’re looking for. If you roll the dice and don’t get any scorable combinations, then you “Farkle” that round and wind up with zero points. Your turn ends when you either Farkle or bank your points, adding them to your score. The first player to bank 10,000 points triggers the end of the game, giving the other players one final turn to beat their score.

The Origin of Farkle

Farkle was created in the 1930s, but the game has taken on the mantle of a legendary myth thanks to its countless joke origin stories. Some say that Farkle is named after Sir Albert Farkle, the man who first played the game in Iceland in the 14th century. Others tell the story of the legendary Farkleberry tree, discovered by the early settlers of Texas. Legend has it that the Farkleberries would harden when they dried, which the settlers then carved into the shape of dice. The reality is that the origins of Farkle are actually unknown, but it’s remained highly popular for decades.

Don’t Push Your Luck With Farkle

Farkle is playable by 2-8 players, which makes it a great ice-breaker for large parties or a fun game for the kids to play while traveling. It’s also playable by ages 8 and up, so younger players can easily get a hang of the rules. Playing time lasts about 30 minutes because the rounds go pretty quickly. Farkle’s charm comes from its simplicity and its fast-paced nature, keeping you on your toes and forcing you to push your luck further and further in an effort to nab those elusive high-point wins. Buy this dice game today and enjoy the easy fun that is Farkle!

 

Monopoly: Relive the House Rules and More

If you grew up playing board games, chances are you own a copy of Monopoly. The colored money, ruthless landlords, and “Go to Jail” cards are a fixture of almost every household. But Monopoly has proven to be a lasting and wildly popular game for a reason, as it requires a great deal of strategy and negotiation to win the game and run everyone else off the board. Anyone looking to relive the classics will love the nostalgia of Monopoly, as well as the flexibility of its rules.

Rolling the Dice

During each turn of Monopoly, a player will roll two die and then move that number of spaces around the board. Each space either represents a property or forces you to draw a card. These cards can require you to do anything from pay taxes, collect income, or go straight to jail.

If you land on an unowned piece of property, you can either buy it or you can allow the bank to auction it out to the highest bidder. Buying property allows you to charge rent to anyone who lands on that space in the future, supplementing your income and helping you bankrupt the other players.

If you land on a piece of property owned by another player, you have to pay them rent. Once a player has collected all the spaces in a certain color group, they can build houses and hotels to charge players higher rent and bankrupt them even faster.

Going To Jail

Players can be sent to jail for several reasons. One reason is by landing on the “Go to Jail” space. Drawing a “Go to Jail” card is another. When rolling the dice, rolling doubles allows you to roll again immediately after. If you roll doubles three times in a row, however, you get “caught speeding” and are sent to the brig.

Landing in jail moves you to the Jail space and ends your turn. The only way to get out of jail is to pay a fine of $50, use a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, or successfully roll doubles on the dice. While jail isn’t the end of the road, it can be an unwelcome wrench in the works that can derail real estate transactions and push you closer to bankruptcy.

House Rules

Monopoly has been around for so many years and has been played by so many people that players have developed their own house rules to make the game either easier or more complex. The “Free Parking jackpot rule” gives each player the opportunity to win a bundle of cash just for landing on the Free Parking space, which can make the game last even longer. Whether you’re new to Monopoly or you’ve been playing the game since childhood, house rules can keep the game feeling fresh and upend strategies left and right.

Monopoly Expansions

Monopoly has seen several expansions that can either be played as stand-alone games or combined with the base game for additional fun. The Get Out of Jail mini-game gives you an additional way to escape prison by using a spade to flick out colored prisoners. Free Parking is another fun add-on that gives you the optional Taxi Challenge, allowing you to move anywhere you want on the board if you win.

Monopoly: The Landlord’s Game

Monopoly is the ultimate family game, playable by 2-8 players. Whether you’re an only child or you’re playing with extended family, Monopoly can accommodate families of all sizes. It’s also suitable for ages 8 and up, so younger children can easily get involved and keep up with the adults.

Playing time lasts between one to three hours, although certain house rules have been known to keep the game going all night. Monopoly isn’t the kind of game that you can cram a quick round in between the appetizers and the main course. If you’re playing Monopoly, it’s going to be an experience all of its own. The best part of the game is that, with so many different house rules that you can bring to it, you will rarely ever play the same game of Monopoly twice!

Now it’s time to go out and make your fortune!

 

 

Left Center Right: The Ultimate Conversation Starter

Left Center Right is an oldie but a goodie, taking classic dice and poker chips and turning them into a kid-friendly party game. Left Center Right comes with a small tube of chips and dice that you can easily bring with you to the bar or on a camping trip for a fun distraction. Whether you’re looking for a way to teach children about numbers and directions or you’re looking for something to break the ice at a party, Left Center Right is a timeless game that will get the dice rolling.

Rolling The Dice

Left Center Right is incredibly simple both in the rules of the game and in its components. The game comes with three dice, each with the letters L, C, and R printed on each side. The game also comes with a set of poker chips, which each player takes three of to start the game with. The game then proceeds in turns in a clockwise direction, with each player rolling the dice on their turn and distributing their chips according to the results of the dice.

For every “L” that you roll, you give one chip to the player on the left. For every “R”, you give a chip to the player on the right. If you roll a “C”, then you put a chip in the middle of the table, where it’s taken out of the game. In addition to the letters L, C, and R, each dice comes with a single dot on the other three sides. For every time you land on the dot, you do nothing. The game ends whenever one player manages to acquire all of the chips.

It’s Not Over Yet!

Left Center Right is incredibly simple, as the person who ends the game holding all of the chips is the winner. However, just because you lose all of your chips doesn’t mean you’re disqualified! You can still come back from the brink if someone else rolls the dice and gives you a chip. You also roll the same number of dice as the number of chips you have, so whoever’s holding onto most of the chips may change in a second based on an unlucky roll of the dice.

LCR Wild

Left Center Right’s simplicity is both a benefit and a drawback, as the game relies solely on the luck of the dice and does not offer the opportunity for strategy. However, there are a few variations of the game you can play to make things a little more difficult. LCR Wild is the same as the regular game of Left Center Right, only the dice feature an additional “W” on one of the sides. If you roll a “W”, you get to take a chip from any player you want.

If you roll two “W’s”, then you can take two chips from either two different players or from the same player. The ultimate roll is if you manage to get three “W’s”, which means you instantly become the winner! Because LCR comes with such simple game pieces, you can easily use regular dice instead of the LCR dice and use whatever tokens you prefer instead of the poker chips from the game. This makes it handy when playing with large groups of people or adding your own unique rules to the game.

Roll The Dice And Count Your Chips With Left Center Right

Left Center Right is playable by anywhere from 3 to 12 players, although you can add an infinite number of players if you use substitute tokens in place of poker chips. The playing time lasts around 20 minutes, although the more players you have, the longer the game will be.

Its short playing time and simple rules make Left Center Right the perfect game for a quick icebreaker rather than something that will be the main event of the party. Left Center Right is suitable for ages 5 and up, so don’t be afraid to get the young ones in on the game. If you’re looking for a game that grandpa and grandson can play together, Left Center Right is an excellent way for them to connect!

Get your game on today!

 

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